1. Technical Field
This invention is directed towards a system and method for transforming a computer monitor screen into a touch screen using an ordinary camera.
2. Background Art
Input devices for use in computer environments are known in the art. They are used to input data into a computer based system. Such data may be used to navigate a cursor on a display, to control the functions of a certain device or to simply input information to a system.
An input device may comprise a touch screen. A “touch” on a typical touch screen means that the touch screen senses the presence of an object such as a tip of a finger or another object, for example a stylus, at and/or at a small distance from an active surface area of the touch screen. An output signal which, in general, is either an electrical or an optical signal is generated from the touch screen. The output signal may include information which is directly dependent on the position of the “touch” on the touch screen. In this case the output signal may include information of the x and y coordinates of the “touch” on the touch screen. Alternatively, the active surface area may be arranged into predetermined regions and, when a particular region is “touched”, the output signal may then depend on a unique identification code which refers to that particular region. Touch screens are more convenient than conventional computer screens because the user can directly point to an item of interest on the screen instead of having to use a mouse or other pointer. Use of a mouse or pointer requires learning hand to eye coordination to effectively move the cursor on the screen. Touch screens are particularly useful for children's software programs because it takes children a long time to master the use of a mouse. Conventional touch screens are, however, expensive and difficult to manufacture, making them impractical for many applications.